Thanksgiving with the Bennet's
by LilLamb24
Summary: Elizabeth returns home from an internship to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family. Perhaps she will find more to be thankful for this year, when an unexpected guest arrives. A modern P&P two-shot. Happy Thanksgiving! *Now being expanded into a full story of Holiday two-shots*
1. Chapter 1

" _ **Forever on Thanksgiving Day, the heart will find the pathway home." - Wilbur D. Nesbit**_

 **Thanksgiving with the Bennet's**

Elizabeth Bennet sighed as she exited her car in front of her parents' house. Light snowflakes swirled around her as she carefully walked up the path of her childhood home. She smiled as she spotted the fall decorations that her mother insisted upon each year with a fine layer of white settled upon them.

Elizabeth had been away from home for three months and just returned for a week at home. Fanny Bennet had insisted that Elizabeth come home for Thanksgiving and was pleasantly surprised when her normally headstrong child easily complied with her wishes. Although Elizabeth was enjoying exploring Chicago while she was there for her internship, she would have been heart-broken to be away from her family for the holiday, especially Jane.

With one more deep breath, Elizabeth opened the door only the find that her mother was already rushing towards her. Before she could speak, she was caught up in her mother's warm embrace. After a moment, Fanny backed up to look at her daughter.

"I am so happy you're home, Lizzy!" She exclaimed.

"I'm happy to be home, mama." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"Good, good…now come and help me in the kitchen. Your younger sisters are nothing but trouble when it comes to cooking!"

Elizabeth laughed as her mother continued to complain of her sisters' lack of culinary skills as they made their way towards the kitchen. Suddenly, her mother stopped and looked down.

"Why, Lizzy, where are your bags? Do you want your father to fetch them from the car?" She asked.

Fanny's eyes narrowed as Elizabeth bit her lip.

"Well, Mama, I'm actually going to stay at Jane's while I'm in town." Elizabeth answered quietly.

"Jane's! What do you mean that you're staying at Jane's?" Her mother screeched.

Elizabeth winced at her mother's voice before trying to smooth things over.

"Jane wanted to spend more time with me and we both knew you would have your hands full since Mary is home from college too. We thought that it would be easier if I stayed with Jane and Mary stayed home with you." Elizabeth explained calmly.

"What a bunch of nonsense! You know, it wasn't that long ago that all five of my daughters were very comfortably situated at home. Kitty and Lydia wouldn't mind sharing a room again if you and Mary wanted your own rooms while visiting!"

No sooner were these words spoken, then two loud voices sounded from upstairs.

"We are NOT sharing again!"

"There is NO WAY that I'm giving up my own room!"

Elizabeth looked at her mom and gestured towards the stairs.

"Well, they would do as I say, in any case. You don't have to run off to Jane's when you're only here for a short time as it is."

Elizabeth slipped her arm around her mother's waist.

"Let's just enjoy this time and not worry about sleeping arrangements right now, okay?"

"Fine, fine…we can discuss it later. Now, come and help me with the potatoes."

With a sigh of relief, Elizabeth walked into the kitchen behind her mother. She immediately inhaled the delicious aroma of dinner yet to come.

Fanny checked on the turkey in the oven as Elizabeth began peeling potatoes.

"Where's Dad?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, you know your father. He's off in the woods out back looking for a certain bird. Or a bug. Or something that I'd prefer he not return with him to the house! Sometimes, it feels as if I did have a son after all, the way your father brings things back in his pockets!"

Both women laughed at this before turning back to their tasks.

They worked companionably until loud footsteps sounded and Elizabeth's younger sisters burst into the room. Elizabeth stopped peeling and looked up before her youngest sister tackled her in a crushing hug.

"Lizzy! I've missed you so much! I'm so glad that you're home! You don't want to stay here though, right? I mean, it's so cramped and Jane's house is so much nicer, don't you think?" Lydia asked with a sweet smile on her face.

"Well, thank you for such a warm welcome, Lyddie." Elizabeth said with a roll of her eyes and then continued.

"And, I'm sure that your heart will break to hear it but I am, indeed, staying with Jane and Charlie while I'm in town."

Lydia shouted, "Yes!" while Kitty just stepped forward and finally gave her sister a hug. Fanny began grumbling under her breath again about ungrateful daughters. Lydia and Kitty sat at the table to watch their mother and sister work.

"So, have you met anyone yet, Lizzy? I bet there are hot, older guys everywhere in Chicago!" Lydia exclaimed.

"Yeah, Lizzy, do you go out every night? Chicago has the best clubs…way better than the ones around here." Kitty said knowingly.

Lydia laughed and looked at Kitty.

"How would YOU know that, Kitty? You've never even been to Chicago!" Lydia accused.

"Everyone knows that, Lydia!" Kitty yelled back.

Fanny and Elizabeth looked at each other exasperatedly before Fanny spoke up.

"Yes, well, you're both very worldly teenagers with a vast knowledge of all club scenes." Fanny said sarcastically. "Now, if you're quite done arguing, either start helping or get out of the kitchen."

Kitty and Lydia glanced at each other and then headed out the door with a quick comment about painting their toenails.

Lizzy laughed at her mother while Fanny just shook her head.

"It's just as well. Last year, Lydia lost one of her nail jewels in the mashed potatoes. Disgusting!"

Lizzy laughed again as she continued with her job. The two women worked well together after years of practice cooking for a large family. Elizabeth's mind started to wander to her younger sister's comments.

Elizabeth wondered if she ever would meet someone worth dating. Recently, she had begun to believe that her discernment regarding men was in such error that perhaps she was meant to be alone. George Wickham immediately came to mind as an example of this. He was everything charming and Lizzy was completely drawn in by his looks and charisma. Unfortunately, Elizabeth found out too late that his charm did nothing to increase his intelligence. For example, he was clueless as to what the term 'exclusive dating' meant. Elizabeth still blushed at her naiveté and the embarrassing situation that finally led her to discover his cheating.

Mary King was a childhood friend who worked at the local coffee shop. Catching George with Mary in Elizabeth's own apartment had been absolutely humiliating; however, George's complete lack of remorse had not only hurt but humbled her. She had resolutely defended his character and felt completely foolish to find it was all a game to him.

Those thoughts brought up potent memories of the man who she defended George against. The man who, regardless of Elizabeth's own rude behavior, had done his best to protect her from Wickham. The man who Elizabeth had insulted even as he attempted to profess his feelings for her. A wave of shame came over Lizzy, as it always did when she allowed these memories to take hold. She shook her head slightly to clear it and glanced over to where her mother was preparing to put the green bean casserole in the oven.

As much as leaving her family pained her, she was overjoyed to have been selected for this internship. After the events of the summer, she needed to get away and start fresh somewhere. Somewhere there were no cheating ex-boyfriends or embarrassed baristas…or handsome, serious friends of her sister's boyfriend.

"Ah, Lizzy! What a beautiful sight to come home to…two of my favorite women."

Elizabeth smiled widely and hugged her father as he dropped a kiss on her hair.

"I've miss you, Lizzy." Her father said.

"I've missed you, too." Lizzy said.

"Well, I suppose I should go change for dinner before the rest of our guests arrive. I would not want to embarrass your mother with my dirty, outdoor clothes." He joked.

"There had better not be anything alive in those jacket pockets, Thomas!" Fanny yelled sternly.

They all three laughed before Elizabeth asked, "Fear not, Dad. I don't think that Charlie will be scared off by your dirty clothes. He only just got Jane to agree to live with him, he won't go running so soon."

"Oh, I know that! That boy is hilarious to watch in how he caters to Jane. I think that I could slip a bug into his pocket and he would forgive me, if only to make Jane happy!" Her father teased and then continued, "I was thinking that William is a bit too proper to feel comfortable having dinner next to me while I have mud on my pants."

Both her parents laughed at this but Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat.

"William? He's coming for dinner?" She asked.

"Well, yes. Charlie called to say that William was back in town and would be alone for the holiday. We could hardly allow the boy to eat a frozen pizza on Thanksgiving!" Her father answered.

Lizzy just nodded her head in agreement still trying to gain control of her beating heart. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

"Oh! That's right, Lizzy! Perhaps you'll change your mind about staying with Jane, now. If you stay there, then you'll be in William's company even longer and I know how you dislike him." Fanny added smugly, thinking that she had found the answer to keeping her daughter at her own house.

Before Lizzy could respond, they heard a voice from the front door.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!" Jane yelled.

Fanny quickly looked to Lizzy and whispered, "Oh Lord! I hope that they did not hear me talking about William." Then she laughed a bit and headed out of the kitchen to greet her guests.

Elizabeth was still standing frozen as she watched her mother walk back into the kitchen with the new comers. Jane found her eyes and moved quickly to embrace her favorite sister. As she hugged her, she whispered quietly, "I know, I know, I know…it will be fine." Elizabeth did not respond but hugged her back before Charlie immediately replaced Jane to give her a quick hug.

"Welcome back, Lizzy! Jane has been missing her partner in crime!" Charles teased.

This finally brought a smile to Lizzy's face.

"Thanks Charlie. It's good to be home, even if it's only for a few days."

Gathering her courage, Lizzy finally looked over at the tall man, standing behind the crowd quietly.

"Hello, William." She said calmly.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Elizabeth."

 **A/N: This will just be a little two-shot that I'm throwing together for the holiday. I hope that you enjoy it. Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanksgiving with the Bennet's – Part Two**

Elizabeth could not stop her cheeks from heating under the stare from the handsome gentleman before her. She stepped forward, determined to overcome the awkwardness of their first meeting since their explosive argument months ago. She looked up to find that his eyes were hopeful as he realized her intention of speaking with him.

"How have you been, William?" She asked nervously.

"I've been well, thank you." He answered shortly.

Elizabeth paused, attempting to think of another safe topic but was startled to find that the normally reticent man was already speaking again.

"I hope that you have been well. I understand from Charles that you've been away these past few months."

Elizabeth could see his cheeks flush after this admission and realized that he must have asked after her. That thought bolstered her courage.

"Yes, I actually only returned today. I'm interning at a marketing firm in Chicago."

"Are you enjoying the city?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am." She answered with a smile. He nodded his head.

"I can see that city life agrees with you, you are looking especially beautiful."

His compliment was so unexpected that Elizabeth could not summon the words to thank him. Before she recovered, he looked about the room.

"Pardon me, I'd like to greet your father."

With one more smile just for her, he left the kitchen in search of her father. As soon as William moved away, Jane once again was at Elizabeth's side.

"Please don't hate me, Lizzy! I didn't know what to do. His sister is spending the holiday with friends and he had nowhere to go. It breaks my heart. I know that things did not end well between the two of you but I thought that you could start again now that the, um, individual who caused the tension is out of the picture?" Jane asked quietly.

"Oh, Jane, I don't hate you and, of course, I wouldn't want you to turn him away. Don't worry, I will be fine. Surely we can eat a meal at the same table without any drama, right?" Lizzy laughed.

Jane hugged her again.

"I knew you would agree. You have such a good heart." Jane said sweetly.

"Now you're being ridiculous! Everyone knows that you are the sweetest Bennet sister. I can only hope that I rank second…or maybe third." Lizzy laughed.

Fanny bustled back into the kitchen and enlisted her two eldest daughters help with the final touches so that dinner might be served soon. Charles, William and Mr. Bennet were lounging in the family room when Fanny announced that dinner was ready. As the trio of men moved to the dining room, a storm of footsteps was heard once again coming from upstairs. Lydia and Kitty arrived to dinner complete with bare feet and toe separators protecting their freshly painted nails. Fanny rolled her eyes but remained quiet on the subject. Mary, the middle Bennet sister, was last to enter. She hugged Jane and Lizzie before taking her seat quietly.

Elizabeth and Lizzy were last to be seated since they assisted their mother in bringing in the food from the kitchen. When Lizzy looked at the table, she found that the only two remaining seats were besides Charles or William. Obviously, Jane moved next to Charles so Lizzy sat next to William with a smile directed towards him.

Mr. Bennet wasted no time speaking once everyone was seated.

"Dinner smells wonderful so let's start the rounds, shall we? This year, I am thankful for my family of beautiful women, the amazing wildlife that resides on our property and…pumpkin pie."

William stiffened slightly when he realized that the entire party would be expected to speak. Elizabeth saw his change in demeanor and leaned towards him.

"Don't worry, William. It is a family tradition to say something you're thankful for and end with your favorite dessert." She whispered.

He nodded and then turned his face towards her to reply. They were so close that Elizabeth could feel his breath on her cheek.

"I see. And, which dessert do you prefer, Elizabeth?" He asked.

She only shook her head slightly and whispered back, "You'll have to wait to find out."

Their attention was brought back to the party as Charles stated proudly, "I'm thankful for Janie and pistachio pudding!"

"What? You've got to be kidding, Charlie! Ew. " Lydia shouted.

"Hush, Lyddie! Some people like pistachios." Fanny said with authority.

Suddenly all eyes were on William.

"I am thankful for my family, as well as, friends who welcome me when my family is away. But, I'm most thankful for s'mores."

Everyone laughed at his unexpected dessert of choice.

"Wow, you stole Lizzie's favorite! At least it's a better choice than pistachios!" Lydia laughed.

Elizabeth's face flamed as she was assaulted with a memory from this past summer.

 _Charles and Jane had had a bonfire to celebrate Jane moving in. By the end of the evening, only Charlie, Jane, Elizabeth and William remained. The beer had flowed freely that night and Elizabeth was thrilled for her sister's happiness with Charlie. She decided that just one thing was missing._

" _We need to make s'mores!" She yelled suddenly from her spot around the fire._

 _Charlie laughed while Jane popped up from her seat._

" _I have everything we need for them! Great idea, Lizzy!"_

 _Elizabeth glanced over at William who was sitting quietly in the seat across from her._

" _Do you like s'mores, William?" She asked._

 _A look of surprise crossed that man's face at her question. Elizabeth so rarely spoke with him that he had to overcome the shock before responding._

" _Well, I don't know." He said._

 _Lizzie scrunched up her eyes in confusion._

" _What do you mean, you don't know? You either like them or you don't. It's not a trick question." She said perplexed._

" _Um, well, I've never had a s'more." He replied simply._

 _Now, it was Lizzy's turn to be surprised._

" _Wait, you've NEVER had a s'more? How were you able to escape childhood without eating a s'more? Do you realize that you're missing out on the most delicious dessert ever invented?" She questioned._

 _Charlie laughed hard at this and William could not help but smile at her too._

" _I will have to trust you since I've never had the pleasure, Elizabeth."_

" _Oh, well, we are fixing that right now." She said determinedly._

 _As soon as Jane returned with a tray of graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows, Elizabeth hopped up to gather the supplies and moved her chair besides William's. She instructed him how the marshmallow should be roasted._

" _See, you just want to brown the outside so that the inside melts."_

 _When William didn't say anything, she turned her head to find that he was staring right back at her. It was only then that she realize how close she was sitting next to him. He didn't say anything but didn't look away either. Elizabeth's mind was a little fuzzy but she couldn't deny that William was gorgeous, even if he annoyed her._

 _Before she could stop herself, she whispered, "You have the longest eye lashes I've ever seen."_

 _William smiled again and quietly asked, "What was that?"_

 _Elizabeth blinked and tried to regain control of her tongue._

" _I said…I said you should check on your marshmallow." She whispered back. They both glanced at the forgotten treats at the end of their sticks only to find that Elizabeth's had already fallen into the fire while William's was completely ablaze at the end of his stick._

" _Oh no! We've ruined them!" She exclaimed before snatching two new marshmallows from the bag._

 _Elizabeth began roasting another one and watched it carefully this time, ignoring the distracting man next to her. When it was perfectly browned, she assembled the s'more and took a bite. She closed her eyes as she finally enjoyed her first bite. A moan escaped her followed by another made by someone else. She opened her eyes to find the source of the noise and looked up to see William focused entirely on her mouth._

 _Elizabeth laughed self-consciously._

" _What? Do I have marshmallow on my face?"_

 _William nodded and said, "Just a bit of melted chocolate…right here"_

 _He took his finger and swiped gently at the corner of her mouth._

 _Elizabeth would never admit to her next actions if questioned and couldn't explain it anyway. Before William could move his finger away, she leaned forward and took it in her mouth. Sucking the chocolate off of his finger, Elizabeth looked up and was startled to find a look of complete desire in his eyes. Elizabeth quickly moved back and stood up._

" _I…I think I've had enough tonight. I'm going to crash inside, night all." She hurried into the house trying to forget the last few moments by the fire._

Elizabeth was brought out of her memory when Lydia shouted her name again.

"Lizzy, hurry up and say what you're thankful for. I'm hungry!"

Elizabeth quickly said, "I'm thankful for patient sisters, loving parents, and…s'mores."

The evening passed with good conversation, delicious food and laughter. A full Bennet house was a loud Bennet house. The family wanted to hear how Elizabeth enjoyed Chicago and how Mary was settling in at college for her first semester. Kitty and Lydia made the group laugh with some of the antics happening at their high school this year. Unfortunately, it was one of these stories that caused a return of Elizabeth's discomfort.

"Oh, Lizzy! I meant to tell you…remember my friend Emily and Amanda?" Lydia asked during a pause in conversation.

Elizabeth nodded, smiling indulgently.

"Well, they are grounded until after Christmas! Can you believe it? They snuck out and went to a huge house party in Ann Arbor and their parents found out. Their parents even took away their phones! I would just die!" Lydia exclaimed unbelievingly.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and said, "I can imagine. I'm very sorry to hear that Emily and Amanda are grounded."

"Oh, no, I mean, that's not why I told you. You'll never guess who was at the party they went to! George! And, Emily said that he still looks good but was totally hitting on all of the freshman girls. He's so nasty…I mean, he's like Charlie's age!"

Fanny immediately interrupted, "Lydia, stop being rude!"

"What? I'm not trying to be rude. I mean, Charlie's hot for an old guy. He's perfect for Jane anyway." Lydia quickly said.

Charlie just laughed and thanked Lydia for her compliments.

Elizabeth could feel William's stare from across the room.

Jane quickly started talking about redecorating the dining room at her house to turn the direction of the conversation. It wasn't long after that Charles and Jane said that they were ready to head home. Fanny quickly looked at Elizabeth and tried once more to compel her to stay at home. Elizabeth just laughed and hugged her mom and dad saying that she was looking forward to seeing them the rest of the weekend.

Charles, Jane, William and Elizabeth did the rounds of good-bye to the rest of the family before walking out the front door. The snow had picked up throughout the evening so there was quite a bit covering both of the cars. Elizabeth pulled the window scraper from her trunk but found it pulled out of her hand.

"Allow me, Elizabeth. Please start your car and let it warm up." William said as he began scraping the snow from the rear window.

Jane was already inside of the other car while Charlie cleaned it off. Before Elizabeth ducked into her car, she called over to Charlie.

"William can just ride with me, Charlie, since he's doing all the work to clean my car."

Charles smiled and waved in acknowledgement.

Elizabeth started the car and turned up the heat while she waited for William to finish. He must have been doing a thorough job because Charlie and Jane left with a wave long before William entered the passenger door.

Once he was seated and buckled in, Elizabeth looked over with a smile.

"Thank you for that. You really didn't have to clean off my car. I'm used to taking care of it."

William shrugged a shoulder before replying, "I was happy to do it and, as you said, I needed to earn the honor of riding with you."

Elizabeth laughed and put the car in drive to start the short journey to Charlie and Jane's neighborhood.

Without taking her eyes off of the road, Elizabeth began speaking again.

"I'll admit, it was my plan all along to ask you to ride with me to the house. I've wanted the opportunity to apologize to you for quite a while so it might as well be now."

"Please, please don't apologize to me, Elizabeth. You said nothing that I didn't deserve to hear." He quickly said.

Elizabeth was already shaking her head.

"No, I absolutely owe you an apology. When I think of how I spoke to you! You have no idea how embarrassed I was when I realized that all you had said was true."

They both were quiet for a moment until William spoke again.

"I cannot be happy that I was right. I would never want you to be hurt. I don't mind telling you that I've had to stop myself from finding George and beating him for treating you like that." He said heatedly.

Elizabeth could not help but smile at his reaction.

"Well, it is probably best that I didn't know that then because I might have let you! I'm ashamed by my own behavior but I'm glad that my heart wasn't really invested in my relationship with him. Maybe subconsciously I always knew it wouldn't work out…" She trailed off.

She was surprised when she felt him touch her arm.

"I…I'm glad that he didn't break your heart." He said sincerely.

Something in his words made her remember the pain that she saw in his own eyes at their last meeting. She realized that he was speaking as someone who had had their heart broken. Her chest clenched at the thought that it was she who broke his heart.

They quietly listened to Christmas music for the rest of the drive and were soon parked outside of Jane's house. Elizabeth left the car running and turned towards William.

"There's more that I want to apologize for, William. The way I spoke to you the last time I saw you was horrible. I was angry that you always attacked George and I honestly had no idea that you liked me, I thought that you always just tolerated my presence like…" She stopped her herself but he was quick to speak.

"You mean, like you always just tolerated my presence?" He asked.

"Ugh! I'm even making a mess of my apology! Why does this always happen around you?" She asked.

"I don't know. Why did I make a mess of everything this summer? Why did I try to hide my attraction for you by being aloof whenever you were around? Why did I allow my jealousy drive me to badger you about the jerk you were dating? I could have told Charles or even Jane and asked them to try to help you see what I knew to be true about George's cheating. But, no, instead I would bring it up whenever I was with you. It's no wonder you were surprised when I told you how I felt. Thinking back, it's clear to me that you didn't even like me or couldn't stand to look at me."

Elizabeth didn't like the turn the conversation had made and quickly put her hand on top of his.

"William, it may be true that I didn't return your feelings then but…even then it was never a hardship to look at you." She said with a smirk.

William was so surprised that he laughed.

"Wow, are you trying to say that you think I'm, what was it that Lydia said? Oh yeah, I'm a hot old guy?"

Elizabeth laughed a little before admitting, "Yes, yes I am."

Their laughing slowly stopped as she looked at him again.

"I think you are very handsome." She said seriously.

"You are a kind and caring friend to Charlie and Jane. A loyal friend to an impertinent girl who refused your help with a lousy boyfriend." She continued as she leaned closer to him.

"You have the longest eye lashes that I've ever seen."

William gasped, remembering that night.

"And…and chocolate has never tasted as good as it did that night." She whispered.

William could not stop himself and finally kissed her. It was heated and wonderful and Elizabeth never wanted it to end. When William did slow down, he leaned his forehead against her own while they caught their breaths.

"Elizabeth, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He whispered.

She smiled and said, "Well, please feel free to continue. You'll hear no complaining from me!"

He smiled and said, "Happy Thanksgiving, Elizabeth."

"Happy Thanksgiving, William."

Then William began their second kiss and was happy to find that she was telling the truth. No complaints were heard.

 **A/N: That's all! I hope that you enjoyed this holiday two-shot. I might consider adding a little something for Christmas if there is interest. Let me know if you'd like to read more of these two! Once again, Happy Thanksgiving dear readers!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Christmas in Chicago (Part 1)**

Elizabeth sloshed her boots through the mucky sidewalk while questioning her sanity. What person of sound mind chooses to live in Chicago through the winter? It was only a few days before Christmas and she was already growing tired of the biting wind sweeping off of Lake Michigan. As she neared her apartment building, she shaded her eyes and looked up at the sky.

The snow started just before she left work. Today was her last day at the office before the holiday break and she had planned to take the train to Ann Arbor tonight. What started out as a cascade of beautiful, fluffy snowflakes had quickly turned into a deluge of blinding white snow that was rapidly accumulating. She bit her bottom lip worriedly as she finally reached the door of her apartment building. With a brief wave to the security guard, she walked to the elevators. Waiting for the doors to open, she decided to check the weather on her phone again. Elizabeth smiled broadly as she glanced at the screen to see several text messages from Will.

The past month had passed in a flurry of texts and phone calls with Will. Elizabeth would always be thankful that she had the opportunity to make things right with him on Thanksgiving. She was finally getting to know the real man behind the severe mask that he often wore in public. A new text popped up and brought her attention back to her phone. She scrolled down to the first missed text and then proceeded to read them all.

"How is your last day of work?"

"Lunch on the run for me today. Wish you were here. : )"

"I'm bored! Was that immature of me? I apologize. P.S. I'm bored!"

"Have you made it back to your apt yet? I saw that the snow is brutal there right now."

Just as Elizabeth stepped off the elevator, her phone rang.

"Hello," she answered.

"Oh Elizabeth! Thank goodness you answered. Are you safe? Your father and I just turned on the weather channel and saw that a blizzard is sitting right on top of Chicago! How could such a thing happen on the day that you are coming home?", cried the voice on the other end of the phone.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes slightly and responded, "Hello, mom. Yes, I am safe. I've actually just arrived back to my apartment."

She quickly unlocked her door and shut it behind her as her mother began another diatribe.

"But what will you do, dear? You father says that the roads will be a mess and the train schedule will be affected. What's that Tom?"

Elizabeth smiled as she heard her father yelling at her mother through the phone.

"Your father says that perhaps you should wait and take the train home tomorrow instead of tonight."

"I'll have to check if there are any available seats tomorrow, mom. It's unlikely since Christmas is Monday." Elizabeth said calmly. She immediately heard her mother hum worriedly and quickly added.

"Mom, I will do my best to make it home but we can't control the weather. Let's see how things progress in the next two hours before my train is due to leave, okay?"

"Okay, I'll call you back in an hour. I love you."

"Sounds good. I love you too. Bye." Elizabeth answered before ending the call.

A quick glance out the window showed that the snow was still steadily falling. Elizabeth's heart sank a little as she accepted that the likelihood of her getting home this weekend was not high. With a sigh, she picked up her phone again to finally respond to Will.

"Back at apt now. Weather sucks. Might be delayed. : ("

Snapping her phone on its charger, she went into her kitchen to see if there was anything edible left. Since she had planned to take the train tonight from Chicago to Ann Arbor and stay there until the day after Christmas, there was precious little food in her apartment. Settling for some string cheese and crackers, she walked into the living room just in time to see her phone light up with a text.

"Glad you're safe. Talk soon."

Elizabeth was a little disappointed that he hadn't called her so that they could commiserate over the hitch in their holiday plans. She hoped that he was as anxious to see her again as she was to see him. Those few days after Thanksgiving were fun, if a bit awkward. A year's worth of misunderstandings couldn't be erased in a matter of days, of course. Yet, their steady stream of conversations since then had bloomed into the beginnings of what she hoped would be a strong relationship.

Smiling at that thought, Elizabeth relaxed on her couch and turned on the television to pass the time.

She was surprised when there was a knock on her door. She looked through the peep hole and only saw the petals of a poinsettia which made her smile. She opened the door and gasped when she saw who was holding that poinsettia.

"Surprise!" Will said quietly.

"William! What are you doing here?" She asked bewildered.

"Oh, I'm showing you that I can be wild and spontaneous. And…hopefully, this is a good surprise?" He asked hesitantly.

Elizabeth finally realized that she was still holding the door open and had left him standing in the hallway. She smiled before throwing her arms around him.

"This is the best surprise ever." She whispered.

"Oh, that's good because I don't think that I'll be able to leave anytime soon." He said sheepishly.

She laughed and led him into her apartment. He handed her the plant and she said thank you as she placed it on her table. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him towards the couch.

"Now, tell me all about this wild and spontaneous plan of yours."

Will smiled but only pulled on her hand to bring her back to him and wrapped his arms around her one more time.

"I will but there's just one thing I need first…" He whispered before kissing her gently. It was slow and sweet and wonderful. When the kiss ended, Will chuckled and said, "That's all I could think about doing for the past 4 weeks."

Elizabeth leaned up on her tip toes to reach his face again.

"Best." (Kiss) "Surprise." (Kiss) "Ever." (Kiss)


End file.
